Electronic time controlled power initiating means



0a. 17, 1950 M. P. SPAR S 2,525,969

ELECTRONIC TIME CONTROLLED POWER INITIATING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed lay 21, 1948 Oct. 17, 1950 M. P. SPARKS 2,525,969

ELECTRONIC mm CONTROLLED POWER mmumc mums Fua May 21, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHIHII Illllllllllll flan/e1! a? Jpark: Q4 M 4 A4150.

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE- ELECTRONIC TIME CONTROLLED POWER INITIATING MEANS Maxwell P. Sparks, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 21, 1948, Serial No. 28,506

3 Claims. (01. 175-373) The present invention relates to an electrical control means having an automatic timing means electrically connected to an electronic tube of the diode-tetrode type and a relay means for effecting the closing of a circuit operative to initiate the operation of a load, such'as an automatic machine for playing records, whereby a selected and given record will be played at given instances or intervals of time.

Among the objects of the inventionls to provide a novel means, as above referred to, for initiating the operation of a device, such as an automatic record player as mentioned above.

Another object of the invention is to provide such novel means with a timing means continuously operated by a synchronous motor with a cam-like means for given periods of time for closing a circuit to a diode-'tetrode electronic tube connected in circuit or circuits to or with relay means affected from the tetrode side of the tube and by capacitance and resistance to effect a closing of a circuit to the means to be initiated in its operation, such means being generally called the load, and also .for determining the time or duration of such operation initiation.

Other objects, capabilities, advantages and the like are comprehended by the invention as will later appear, and as are inherently possessed by the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the time control means forming part of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the motor initiating circuit for operating the load;

Fig. 5 is a part section view of a load, such as a record player;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a switch means;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the means of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view of a detail.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the embodiment chosen to illustrate the invention comprises a casing l, in which are housed elements later referred to and identified in the description of Fig. 5, and on which casing is mounted a time controlled power initiating device 2, a relay controlled switch 3 (see Figs. 6, '7 and 8), and also a tube 4, which may be of the diode-tetrode type. 1 z r The timing means 2 (see Figs. 2 and 3), comprises a base 5 Operatively associated with and connected to a motor 6 of the synchronous type and having a shaft 1 extending up to and con- 2 nected with a timing disk or cam 8. To the base 5 is connected a chassis 9 for supporting a table I0 onwhich is supported a switch means H, posts 12 and I3 for connection of conductors l4 and 15 running from 'a supply line, and also conductors l6 and I1 running to the motor 6 in the usual manner. The conductors l4 and I5 (see Fig. 1) are connected to a suitable connector l8, such as a plug-in means, for receiving current from the usual electrical line (not shown) These conductors I4 and I5 may have fuses l9 and 20 or the like, if desired.

The switch means H comprises a stationary contact element or means 23 supported on the table ID by a suitable support 24 and this com I tact element or means 23 is connected to the post I2 by a conductor 2|. (See Fig. 2.) Operatively associated with the stationary contact element 23 is a movable contact elementor means 25 carried by a spring lever or arm26 having its other end pivotally associated with a support 21 carried on the table 10.

On the support 21 is pivotally mounted an arm 28 which is connected to the spring lever 26 and at the free end of the arm 28 is provided a roller 29 adapted to normally ride on the periphery 30 of the cam disk 8 whereby the spring part 26 and the contact 25 will be held out (see dotted line position in Fig. 2) and the circuit is held open at the contacts 23 and 25. A spring 31 is connected to the arm 28 and to a stationary part 32' on the table H1, this spring normally urging the arm 28 and roller 29 inwardly against the edge or periphery 30 of the cam disk 8. The disk 8 has one or more notches or indentations 33, 33 in its periphery 30 so that as the disk 8 is rotated in given time angular movement, such as a quarter of an hour, a half hour, or the like, from notch to notch, as may be determined by the user, the roller 29 will be pulled by the spring 3| into the notch 33, whereby the spring switch member 26 will move inwardly to close the switch contacts 23 and 25 and thus close the circuit by way of the conductors l4 and 2|, contacts 23 and 25, the switch part 26, and a conductor 22 leading to the tube 4. From the contact [3 runs another conductor 34.

Referring to Fig. 1 the tube 4 has filaments 35, 35 connected across conductors 22 and 34 by way of connectors 36 and 31. When the switch 26 is closed, these filaments are heated by the current from the line l4-I5.1A 1s'o current flows from the A. C. line 14 by way of conductor ZLsWitch 23-25-26 to conductor 22 by way of conductor 38, plate electrode 39 onthe positive side of the A. C. cycle to cause positive potential to be applied from the cathode 4G by way of the conductor 4| to a screen grid 42 of the tetrode side of the tube 4. In the tube 4 is also a plate 43 connected by conductor 44 to a relay coil 45 and thence by a conductor 45 to a grid 42, thus causing the positive potential to be applied to the plate 43 and causing the current to flow from the plate 43 through the conductors 44 and 45 and the res lay coil 45, and causing the relay switches 41 and .8 to close. The relay switch 48 is connected by conductors 49 and 53 to the means to be initiated in operation, such as a selected record in a phonograph playing machine or the like. The relay 45 has a core 5! for causing the switches 41 and 48 to close.

When the switch 4'! is closed, current fiows from a battery 52 by way of the conductor 53 by way of the switch 41 thence to conductor 5 thence to a resistor 55 and also charges a capacitor 56 to a terminal voltage of the battery 52, Th conductor 54 is connected to the resistor 55 by way of conductors 57 and 58 and to a capacitor 58 by way of the conductors 5? and 55, and the resistor 55 and the capacitor 55 are connected to the conductor 34 by way of conductors 55 and 65 respectively. The conductor 5'5 runs to a grid 62 in the tube 1, and interposed between the grid 62 the 'llarnent is a cathode 63.

Across the rela coil 45 is a capacitor 54 connected by conductors 55 and 55 respectively to the conductors 4G and 4E.

The switches 47 and of the switch means 3- are shown more in detail in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 and, as shown, comprise a base piece 5! supported on the. member I, and fixed to a bracket 58 which has an 55 upon which carried an insulation block 15, which may be made up of laminations as desired and found convenient. The block 26 holds at an end thereof a purality of resilient switch elements 7 I, l2, l3 and i l, and the forward ends 75 and '55 of elements ll and 33 extend through a slot "E7 in an upright arm 78 of an armature member extending over the core 5| of the relay coil 45, and being pivotally supported or fulcrummed in the bracl-zet 53 with a tail piece 85 connected to a spring 35 whip J. is, in turn, connected to a base part of the hi acket 68 (see Fig. '7). The elements ii and 13 have contact points 82 and the elements :2 and i4 have opposed contact points 83 which are normally separated or open. The conductors 54 and 5-6 are connected to the relay coil4'5 by way of posts 84 and 85 on the base member 5?. The lixed ends of the spring elements Ti and "I2 Figs. 6 and '7) are connected to the conductors 49 and 55, and the fixed ends of the spring elements l3 and Hi are connected to the conductors 53 and In the operation of this phase of the device, as current flows through the-relay coil 55 the-core 5! will attract the armature 75 to move the loop 18 down and hence the ends of the elements ll and 73 also down to make the contacts 82- close contact with the contacts 83, and thus close the circuit of the conductors 49 and 5!} to the load (not shown), the operation of which is to be i n itiated, and also close the circuit of the conductors 53 and 54to the battery 52, resistor 55 and capacitor 55 (see Fig. 1),.

In the operation of the device generally, the synchronous motor 5 constantly rotates the ca m disk G whereon, in them'ain, the roller rides on the periphery of the disk and when a notch or indentation 33 moves to be opposite the roller 29, the spring 3| pulls the arm 23, from the'dotted to the full line positions shown in Fig. 2, so that the roller 29 moves into the notch 33 and the switch member 26 with its contact 25 is moved into circuit closing contact with the contact 23. This closes the circuit whereby the current flows through the conductors I5 and 34, the filaments 35, conductors 38 and 22 through switch 25-25-23'and conductor 2| to the A. C. line I4. This action heats and lights the two filaments 35.

The current flows from the A. C. line 14' through the conductor 2i to switch 23-25-26, conductors 22 and 38, plate 39, on the positive half of' the A. C. cycle and causes a positive potential to be applied from the cathode 40 through the conductor 4| 'to the grid 42 of the tetrode side of the tube 4. The plate 43 is connected by the conductor 44, relay coil 45 and conductor 46 to the grid 42. This'causes positive potential to be applied to the plate 43 causing the current to flow from the plate 4 3 through the conductors 44 and 46 and the relay coil 45, thus causing the relay switches 41 and. 48 to close. Whe the switch 4! is closed current flows from the battery 52 through the conductors 53, 54 and 57 to the resistor 55 and also charges the capacitor 56, and. byway of the conductor 60, GI and 35 to the terminal voltage of the battery 52. This voltage across the capacitor 55 causes the grid 62 to be come so negative that the current flow through the tetrode side of the tube 4 ceases, causing the relay switches 47 and 48 to open again. It can be seen that the relay switches 4', and 58 remain closed for only a fraction of a second, as by way of example, a fifth of a second, or such other time as may be desired depending on the value ofthe parts used, such as the resistor 55 and the capacitor 56. The resistor 55 being connected parallel with the capacitor 56 is so large (approximately ten megohms) that the capacitor 56 (approximately forty microiarads) is not able to discharge in less than two minutes. This follows the formula; time in seconds the resistance X the capacitance. Meanwhile, this voltage across the capacitor 56 holds the tctrode side of the-tube 4 in a non-conducting state. When the relay coil 45 is energized theswitch 48 along with the switch 47 also closes and actuates the device to be controlled by way or the condoctors 49 and 5G.

The cam device of the motor 5 causes the switch 23-25-25 to remain closed for two minutes. The warm-up period of the tube 4 con sumes thirty seconds of this time. The voltage held on the grid 52 causes the tube 4 to remain non-conducting for two or three minutes after the thirty seconds warm-up period. Meanwhile, two minutes after the switch 23-25-25 has closed, the cam 8 of the motor 6 causes the switch 23-25-26 to open again, while the tube 4 is still non-conductive. Thus the relay closes the switches 4'5 and 48, only momentarily once per hour or onehalf hour orwhatever time for which the disk 8 istimed.

The device as disclosed is of especial use in connection with an automatic record player of known construction and shown in part in Fig. 5 as having a housing 86 provided with a table 87 supporting a post 38 above which is a tone arm BS earryinga stylus or needle for playing on a record 3|, the arm 89 being connected to the upper end of a shaft 92 operativelysupported in the post 88.

Within the housing 96 is a number of record holders 93 capable of being selectively slid into place with a selected record in position for a turn-table 94 to pick up the record from its holder and bring it up to playing position with respect to the needle 90 and then return it to its tray or holder 93 upon descent of the turn-table 94. The turn-table 94 is carried at the upper end of a shaft 95 which is operatively associated at its lower end with suitable motor driven mechanism (not shown) for in proper time relation to carry the turn-table up and down and also to rotate it, in usual known manner.

The trays or holders 93 have suitable elements 96 by which selection of a tray or holder may be effected by suitable means carried by a shaft 91 suitably operated via a usual selecting device 98. The latter has a rotatable disk 99 beneath which is a plurality of solenoids I (see also Fig. 4) each having a core key IOI adapted when a selected coil I00 is energized to raise the key IOI into interfering position with a stop member or pin I02 carried by the disk 99. The conductors 49 and 50 run to 'a control board I03 forming part of the usual mechanism of the record player, shown in part in Fig. 5, and from this board the line 50 continues by way of a conductor I04 (see Fig.4) to a coil I00 which when energized will raise the key IOI for its upper end I05 to be in the path of travel of the stop pin I02. The raising of the key IOI will bring .the contact I06 carried by the key IOI, in circuit closing contact with the point I01 of a'conductor I08 running to the motor I09 of the record playing mechanism. From the coil I00 runs a conductor IIO to the secondary III of a transformer H2 and thence by a conductor II3 to the conductor 49 of the switch means 3, or more particularly the contacts 48 of that switch means.

Connected to the usual electric power line is a plug-in H4 in circuit with the primary II5 by way of the conductors H6 and Ill. From the contact I06 runs a conductor II8 to the conductor Ill, and from the motor I09 runs a conductor II9 to the conductor II6.

When the switch 48 is closed, the current impulse passes by way of the conductor 50 to the means I03, conductor I04 to coil I00, conductor IIO to secondary coil III, and conductor II3 to conductor 49 of the switch 48. This efiects a closing of the contacts I06 and I01 whereby current from the line plug II4 passes by way of the conductors H6 and H9 to the motor I09, thence by Way of the conductor I08, contacts I01 and I06, conductors H8 and II! to the plug II4. This initiates the operation of the record player and the selected record "controlled by the particular coil I00 and key I M is played in the usual way in the record player. The motor I09 operates appropriately the usual means for bringing the record in place in the path of the turn-table 94 which will lift the record to playing position against the needle or stylus 90 and after completing its playing the tone arm 89 shall have been moved to a position to cause the usual mechanism controlled and operated by the motor I09 to cause the turn-table to descend, leave the record on its tray 93, and then restore the tray 93 with its record 9I in stored position, after which the motor may stop or effect playing of another record that might have been chosen in a way peculiar to the record playing device.

While I have herein described and upon the drawings shown an embodiment of the invention by way of illustration thereof, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends other constructions, details, arrangements of parts, features, and the like without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

'1. An electronic time controlled power initiating means comprising a load circuit to be controlled, terminals adapted to be connected to a source of current for said power initiating means, relay means for controlling said load circuit, electronic means including anode, cathode, and grid means for controlling said relay means, cyclically operative means for periodically completing a circuit from said terminals to the anode-cathode circuit of said electronic means, a capacitor connected across said cathode and grid means for controlling the flow of current through said electronic means, means controlled by said relai means for effecting charging of said capacitor to put a negative charge on said grid means when said electronic means is, conducting, impedance means having appreciable resistance for discharging said capacitor when said electronic means is non-conducting, and means responsive to application of current to said electronic means for causing energization of said relay means.

2. An electronic time controlled power initiating means comprising a load circuit to be controlled, terminals adapted to be connected to a source of current for said power initiating means, relay means for controlling said load circuit, electronic means including anode, cathode, and grid means for controlling said relay means, cyclically operative means for periodically completing a circuit from said terminals to the anode-cathode circuit of said electronic means, a capacitor connected across said cathode and grid means for controlling the flow of current through said electronic means, means controlled by said relay means for effecting charging of said capacitor to put a negative charge on said grid means when said electronic means is conducting, im-

, pedance means having appreciable resistance for discharging said capacitor when said electronic means is non-conducting, the values of said capacitor and said impedance means being so chosen that said electronic means can only become conducting once during each period of completion of the circuit from said terminals to said anodecathode circuit by said cyclically operative means, and means responsive to application of current to said electronic means for causing energization of said relay means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the electronic means comprises tubes of the.

heater type having a timedelay characteristic which supplements the delay characteristic of the capacitor during its charging period.

' MAXWELL P. SPARKS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,132,264 King Oct. 4, 1938 2,143,501 Snyder Jan. 10, 1939 2,171,348 Schneider Aug. 29, 1939 2,215,404 Myers Sept. 17, 1940 2,339,750 Bartholy Jan. 25, 1944 2,372,516 Rechton Mar. 2'7, 1945 

